Miami, FL

Miami Heat's LeBron James may stop his dunking warm-up routine before games as some quarters called on him to put up or shut up.

He lamented that his acrobatic dunking display in the Heat's layup line is becoming a potential distraction that has opened him up to more critcism.

While James' warm-up dunks have been contest-worthy, he has been unwilling to participate in the league's dunk contest during All-Star Weekend.

"They're like, 'Well, if you can do it in warm-ups, why don't you [want to] be in the dunk contest?' Stop it," said james.

Videos that fans have taken of James in the layup line have gone viral on the Internet in recent days, prompting the Heat to stream James' pregame dunks on the team's official website. More fans are starting to fill the arena's lower bowl before games with cell phones or video recorders in hand waiting for James to take the court.

James said Tuesday he wasn't aware of how popular the routine has grown, because it's something he's always done.

Nevertheless, James took care of business in the court scoring 40 points and dishing out 16 assists in leading the Heat to its 12th straight win by beating the Sacramento Kings 141-129 in double overtime.

Miami's 12-game winning streak is the longest in the NBA and matches the second-longest in franchise history.

He also became the first NBA player to finish with at least 40 points and 16 assists since ex-Suns star/current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson had 42 and 17 for Phoenix against Denver on April 3, 1994.

 

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